Week of 29 April 2009

(SPOILER ALERT: This post contains spoilers. Don't read it before you've read the comics.)

FINAL CRISIS: LEGION OF THREE WORLDS #4 (6/09)
"Legion of 3 Worlds Book Four"

ROLL CALL (Retro Legion): Blok, Bouncing Boy (image), Brainiac 5, Chameleon Baby (image), Cosmic Boy, Dawnstar, Dream Girl (image), Duo Damsel (image), Invisible Tot (Lyle) (image), Invisible Kid (Jacques) (image), Karate Kid (Myg) (image), Lightning Lad, Lightning Lass, Mon-El, Night Girl, Phantom Girl, Polar Boy, Saturn Girl, Shadow Lass, Starman/Star Boy, Sun Boy, Superman, Utra Boy, White Witch, Wildfire

ROLL CALL (Earth-247 Legion): Andromeda, Apparition (image), Brainiac 5, Cosmic Boy, Dreamer, Ferro, Gates, Gear, Kid Quantum, Kinetix (dies), LeVIathan, Live Wire, Saturn Girl, Sensor, Shikari, Spark, Star Boy, Superboy (Conner Kent), Timber Wolf, Ultra Boy, Umbra, Valor/M'Onel, Wildfire, XS

ROLL CALL (Earth-Prime Legion): Atom Girl (image), Brainiac 5, Chameleon (image), Colossal Boy (image), Element Lad (dies), Invisible Kid, Light Lass, Lightning Lad, Phantom Girl, Projectra, Shadow Lass, Star Boy, Sun Boy (deceased), Timber Wolf, Triplicate Girl, Ultra Boy

ROLL CALL (LSV): Black Mace, Cosmic King, Dr Regulus (image), Emerald Empress, Glorith (image), Grimbor, Hunter, Lightning Lord, Mordru, Persuader, Saturn Queen, Superboy-Prime, Tharok (image), Time Trapper, Titania (image), Zymyr (dies?)

ROLL CALL (Friends & Relations): Comet Queen (image), Green Lantern (Rond Vidar) (image), Green Lantern (Sodam Yat), Kid Flash (Bart Allen), Marella Tao

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: On page 25, Polar Boy calls Sun Boy "Drake." Sun Boy's first name is "Dirk." Wildfire is "Drake." It's an easy mistake to make, especially if you've just got beaten up by Superboy-Prime. Orange glowing guy, radiation springing from his hands? Besides, Polar Boy has never stopped longing for a repeat of the really hot three-way he had with Sun Boy and Wildfire that one night....

WHO'S DEAD? So far, R.J. Brande, Myg and Rond Vidar from the Retro Legion, Kinetix from the Earth-247 Legion, Element Lad and Sun Boy from the Earth-Prime Legion.

WHO WAS DEAD, BUT GOT BETTER? Bart Allen, Conner Kent

WHO WAS IN THE LIGHTNING ROD? The youthful essence of Bart Allen.

WHAT EARTH IS THE TEENAGE REVOLUTION LEGION FROM? Either Earth-Prime or a world enough like it that its Kryptonite affects Superboy-Prime.

WHERE IS CHAMELEON BOY? Still missing and unaccounted for.

WHERE IS TELLUS? In the 21st century, in a tank in the Cadmus facility.

WHICH MON-EL IS THE ONE IN SUPERMAN? Presumably, the Retro Legion Mon-El.

WHERE DID THE EARTH-PRIME MON-EL COME FROM? YOU KNOW, THE ONE WHO WENT BACK IN THE PHANTOM ZONE IN THE 31st CENTURY? Uh...sometimes time travel messes up your memories. That's what must have happened here. Yeah, that's the ticket.

WHAT ARE CHUCK AND LUORNU DOING? AND WHO IS SHE NOW, ANYWAY? TRIPLICATE GIRL, DUO DAMSEL, SINGLE SIS? Okay, she was Triplicate Girl until Computo killed one of her bodies. She was Duo Damsel until the Conspiracy, when the Time Trapper killed one of her bodies (which may or may not still be in continuity). Later, she got that body back (which may or may not still be in continuity.) Then one of her bodies went back to the 21st century with Val, where she used the name Una. Both Una and Val died. Presumably one Luornu is still left. My theory is that she & Chuck are (a) babysitting the Ranzz kids, or (b) helping Chameleon Boy with his secret mission which will Save the Day.

WHERE IS MAGNETIC KID? Superman made reference to the Magic Wars, so it is possible that Magnetic Kid is still dead. He joined at the same time as Tellus, Quislet, Sensor Girl, and Polar Boy, so it's unlikely that his membership has been erased from Legion continuity.

WHERE IS QUISLET? Waiting in the wings, ready to "poop" into Superboy-Prime and make him explode. Yay, Quislet!

WHEN IS THE LAST ISSUE DUE OUT? Not...soon...enough.

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JUSTICE SOCIETY OF AMERICA #26 (6/09)
"Happy Birthday Stargirl"
ROLL CALL: Starman/Star Boy

The whole JSA (including Starman) throws a surprise birthday party for Stargirl. then all of them troop into the dentist's office with her, where it turns out that she doesn't get her braces removed.

No, honest, I am not making this up. That's what happens. Apparently this is the last issue for this creative team. It feels like the last issue of the comic, but it's not: JSA is on the DC regular schedule for the next few months.

There are three covers; only one of them has Thom on it. Choose wisely.

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SUPERMAN #687 (6/09)
"Power and Wekness"
ROLL CALL: Mon-El, Sensor Girl [Wilcox], Tellus

Mon-El continues to learn under the tutelage of The Guardian. The Guardian assembles a strike team of S.P.s (incuding Mon in his Jonathan Kent identity) to rescue Tellus, who is still in a tank in Cadmus headquarters. And Mon, flying off after completing a mission, suddenly loses his powers. (I think I saw the Parasite skulking around earlier, so he's probably stolen them.)

BITS OF LEGIONNAIRE BUSINESS: This issue addresses the question of Mon-El's secret identity: specifically, how to disguise the fact that he is a dead ringer for Jonathan Kent (who is never around when Mon-El shows up). Apparently, Supes implanted a device in Mon's neck, a device which makes his facial features indistinct (the same gimmick that Jay Garrick uses as the Flash.) Both Mon and the Guardian seem to realize that this isn't exactly the most dependable solution in the world, so they're going to work on things. (Meanwhile, Mon's features seem perfectly distinct to the reader and in surveillance footage from Project 7734.) Just one more indication that the Man of Steel didn't put a whole lot of thought or planning into this Mon-El-will-replace-me thing.



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